BOUQUETS and BRICKBATS

By Enterprise editorial staff

Published 1:00 am, Saturday, December 8, 2012

-- Newton junior running back Kevin Shorter, for being named the Marine Corps Elite Warrior of the Year for Houston. Two weeks of online fan voting elected Shorter, who has rushed for 1,174 yards with 19 touchdowns and caught 10 receptions for 263 yards with five touchdowns, to the honor. On defense, he has accounted for 43 tackles, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Newton was 12-0 going into Friday's game against Franklin (10-2) at Abe Martin Stadium in the state quarterfinals.

-- West Brook High School grad Ryan Grant, for being named a first-team all-Conference USA receiver as a redshirt junior at Tulane University. Grant's first selection to the all-conference team came after a season in which he caught 76 receptions for 1,149 yards and six touchdowns. Grant, who graduated from West Brook in 2009, sustained a season-ending injury after a game last year and came back this season to lead Conference USA in receiving yards per game with 95.75. He is the first Tulane receiver since 2004 to gain all-conference recognition and tied the school's record for most 100-yard receiving games in a season with seven.

-- West Orange-Stark defensive end Colin Janice, for planning to sign a letter of intent with McNeese State to play football in college. These verbal commitments are nonbinding, and Janice also has a scholarship offer from Southeastern Louisiana. The Mustangs faced Navasota in a regional final matchup Friday at Turner Stadium in Humble. Mustang fans held a "Big Blue" community pep rally for the team at 6 p.m. Thursday at the WO-S High School Gym.

-- Former Lamar receiver J.J. Hayes, for signing a contract with the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League. Hayes played at Lamar in 2010 and 2011. He holds school records for receiving yards in a season (951 in 2011), receiving yards in a game (212) and catches in a game (14). Hayes played two seasons at Navarro College for two seasons before he transferred to Lamar. Lamar coach Ray Woodard recruited Hayes to both schools, first when Woodard was the head coach at Navarro. The Sharks won the AFL South Division championship in 2012. In 2011, the team won the Arena Bowl championship.

Brickbats go to:

-- Whoever placed a dead pig at the entrance of the Islamic Outreach Center in Cypress near Houston. The pig was found was found Tuesday, according to a Harris County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman. Members showed up for evening prayers and found the animal, and some of the pig's intestines were left on the fence around the property. Muslims consider pigs unclean and do not eat pork. According to KHOU.com, leaders at the Islamic center didn't want to call the incident a hate crime. "It's unfortunate that something like this would happen, but it's a teaching moment," Imam Fahad Tasleem, the center's resident Imam, told KHOU.com. "Come out, learn about Islam, interact with us, we would like to learn about you as well."